Giving Back at 3 Calgary Restaurants

By MICHAELA RITCHIE and SILVIA PIKAL

Calgarians aren’t the only ones getting into the spirit of giving this season—many Calgary businesses have launched programs this December that give their customers a chance to give back. Consider supporting one of these local charitable diners the next time you step out.

Hayden Block Smoke and WhiskeyDrink up some good cheer at Hayden Block this season in support of a good claus! The restaurant’s annual Charity Nog is back, with $2 proceeds from each beverage going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Celebrate the holidays at this beloved barbecue hotspot throughout December and enjoy their take on egg nog with a generous splash of Tangle Ridge whiskey. It’s a drink that is sure to leave you tingling, if not certainly for the knowledge that your purchase will help grant a child’s Christmas wishes.• Hayden Block Smoke and Whiskey, 1136 Kensington Rd NW, 403-283-3021, haydenblockyyc.com

Hexagon Board Game CafeHexagon Board Game Cafe has partnered with the Ronald McDonald House to upcycle gently used board games and donate them to kids in need. Folks who bring in a used board game will receive a free hot chocolate. Hexagon will also be donating several new board games to fill those stockings to the brim this year. “Christmas will not be the same for our families due to the illness of a child,” says Sydney Wakaruk, Ronald McDonald house fund development coordinator. “The support received from our community allows Santa to find the children at our House.” The cafe will accept donated games and toys untilDec. 23.• Hexagon Board Game Cafe, 1140 Kensington Rd NW, 403-209-2881, thehexcafe.com

NationalThis chain’s Westhills location is on a mission to wrap up some love this season! Join them December 17 to fill gift boxes for the The Shoebox Project for Shelters. For $15, participants receive a shoebox, $50 worth of donations to fill it with, festive wrapping decorations, and a pint of Wildrose beer to sip while you wrap. Donations will be collected ahead of the wrapping party, but participants are eagerly invited to bring along their own additional donations as well. The completed boxes will be shipped off to women in crisis, in the hope they they will make their Christmas a little more merry this year.• National Westhills, 180 Stewart Green SW, 403-685-6801, ntnl.ca

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